Tag Archives: theater

I’ve been enjoying all the great things in the media about the show “Hamilton” on Broadway (and love the soundtrack). It seems to be a pretty special show. But I’d also like to tell you why “Hamilton” is special in a bad way. It is such a phenomenon that ticket sales went through the roof. That’s a great thing. I’ve got no problem with that. ...

Playbill: President Obama returned to Broadway to see Hamilton on Tuesday. Being on a fund-raiser stage gave the President an opportunity for a little political stand-up: “Have you noticed that every one of these candidates says, ‘Obama’s weak. Putin’s kicking sand in his face. When I talk to Putin, he’s going to straighten out.’ “Then it turns out they can’t handle a bunch of CNBC ...

Playbill: Emerson College’s faculty voted Oct. 27 to oppose plans to turn Boston’s vintage Colonial Theatre, a theatre, which was built in 1900, predating all existing Broadway houses, into a student activity center and dining facility. The resolution states, in part, that the “plans were developed without sufficient input from faculty, students, alumni and other city, regional and national stakeholders.” It calls “on the administration ...

The Washington Post: Ari Roth, fired 10 months ago as Theater J’s artistic director, is already making his next entrance on the D.C. scene as the founder of the Mosaic Theater Company of DC, with a $1.6 million budget, a full season of plays and 38 actors.

American Theatre Magazine: It’s Back to the Future day, when Doc Brown and Marty (and Marty’s girlfriend, Jennifer) come in from 1985. The film trilogy has inspired social commentary in Germany’s theaters.

There’s a modern myth stating that modern audiences won’t appreciate art unless it’s created in modern technology. The art must be accessible to the audience. So films are colorized. Or recropped for a widescreen. Or re-released in 3-D. So says the modern myth. Imagine we needed to repaint the Sistine Chapel because Michelangelo didn’t have Prussian or cobalt blue on his palette. Ridiculous, right? Painting ...

Playbill.com: Lee Pelton, president of the Emerson College in Boston, used an Oct. 18 column in the Boston Globe to defend plans to repurpose the historic Colonial Theatre, Boston’s oldest continually-running theatre, which is owned by Emerson. The idea has not been well-received.

Playbill: On the eve of a potential hit in its upcoming all-star Confederacy of Dunces, Tony-Winning Huntington Theatre Company has learned that it is losing its main supporter – Boston University, which plans to put one of the troupe’s theatres up for sale, according to The Boston Globe. “Neither BU nor the Huntington have the resources it will take to renovate and modernize the BU ...

OSF: The Oregon Shakespeare Festival announced today the launch of a 39-play, three-year commissioning project, Play on! 36 playwrights translate Shakespeare. Supported by a generous grant from the Hitz Foundation and inspired by long-time OSF patron Dave Hitz’s passion for Shakespeare, the project is led by Lue Morgan Douthit, OSF’s director of literary development and dramaturgy. http://bit.ly/1JT4DPt

LA Times: The Elephant Theatre Co. in Hollywood has ceased operations and its members are considering their options following the recent sale of the company’s longtime home on Santa Monica Boulevard, leaders said in recent interviews. The award-winning company, which has built a reputation for championing new American plays, is the latest casualty on Hollywood’s Theatre Row. http://lat.ms/1iaO38u